MyDigitalSSD Offers USB-Compatible NVMe SSD Enclosure

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MyDigitalSSD is asking the age-old question: does a dongle by any other name smell just as sweet? (Or something like that.) We're used to dongles bridging the gap between headphones, USB connectors and the like. Now a much larger one is going to let you use your NVMe SSD as external storage.

The new M2X USB 3.1 Gen 2 M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD Enclosure Adapter lets you connect an NVMe SSD to your system via USB so you can get maximum performance from your external storage when a Thunderbolt port is unavailable. Actual performance will vary based on the SSD and USB generation used, but the enclosure's basic premise remains the same no matter what NVMe SSD you decide to put in it or what system you connect it to.

MyDigitalSSD said the M2X is fully bus-powered and features a heatsink that "combats high heat issues commonly found in small form factor SSDs and ensures peak performance even under heavy use." It's also operating system independent and compatible with M 2242, 2260, and 2280 form factor SSDs. According to the company, that means the M2X supports up to 2TB of storage.

The company also said the M2X's JMS583 USB 3.1 Gen 2 to PCIe Gen3 x2 bridge controller offers data transfer speeds up to 10Gbps. You won't see that kind of performance, though, if you take advantage of the enclosure's support for USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 connections. Then you'll be limited by those previous-generation capabilities--but at least you won't have to worry about your data being inaccessible via anything other than USB 3.1 with the M2X.

The M2X USB 3.1 Gen 2 M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD Enclosure Adapter is available now from Amazon for $40. It comes with a one-year warranty, a foot-long USB 3.1 Type-C cable, and a foot-long USB 3.1 Type-A cable. You will, of course, have to supply your own NVMe SSD if you want to store anything.

Nathaniel Mott
Nathaniel Mott
Freelance News & Features Writer

Nathaniel Mott is a freelance news and features writer for Tom's Hardware US, covering breaking news, security, and the silliest aspects of the tech industry.

6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • AlistairAB
    Finally. Was so hard to find those in the past.
    Reply
  • andrew.maizels
    There's a new chip out from JMicron that does the USB to PCIe conversion, so these are starting to pop up. There's about a dozen of them on Amazon now - search for JMS583.
    Reply
  • ianpac1969
    I have had one for a year already. Easy to find online in Aliexpress for $13. No heat sink though but you would only want that for really huge transfers.
    Reply
  • stdragon
    21329558 said:
    There's a new chip out from JMicron that does the USB to PCIe conversion, so these are starting to pop up. There's about a dozen of them on Amazon now - search for JMS583.

    Right, but I'm seeing them all listed for around $50+ and go north from there. The cheaper ones in the $20 range are only for the SSD M.2 verity.
    Reply
  • mikewinddale
    Yes, finally! I have a laptop with only one M.2 slot and I've wanted to upgrade the NVMe SSD but I knew that cloning my drive would be difficult. Whenever I upgrade a SATA drive, I just connect the new drive to a USB enclosure, clone, and then swap the two SATA drives. Now I can finally do the same with my NMVe drive! Yay!
    Reply
  • mikewinddale
    Yes! Finally! This lets me easily clone my laptop's current NVMe SSD to a new one without having to use a bunch of workarounds. Since I have only one NVMe slot, I thought it was going to be a real hassle to clone one to the other. Now it won't be!!!
    Reply